Astrium is delighted by the decisions taken by the ESA Ministerial Council

The decisions taken by the Ministerial Council of the European Space Agency (ESA) are a further boost for the 18,000 Astrium employees

The level of the budget voted for the period 2013-2017 (10 billion Euros) and the programmes funded, mark a very real consolidation of the future of European space

Astrium is pleased by the major steps forward made, in particular for the Ariane, MPCV and MetOp-SG programmes

21 November 2012 – Astrium, Europe’s leading space company, is delighted by the decisions taken by the Ministerial Council of the European Space Agency (ESA) on 20 and 21 November 2012. The level of the budget voted for the period 2013-2017 (10 billion Euros) and the programmes funded mark a very real consolidation of the future of European space.

On the occasion of the announcement of these decisions, François Auque, CEO of Astrium, declared: “This is a great moment for the construction of the European space sector and Astrium welcomes the decisions, especially during the difficult economic conditions.

We are particularly pleased that the Ministers of the ESA member States have secured investment for the definition study of the new Ariane 6 launcher and for continued development of the Ariane 5ME. These future versions will benefit from the know-how and commitment of the women and men of Astrium, who have made Ariane 5 the most reliable launcher currently on the market.

We also note the major steps forward taken for the MetOp-SG meteorological satellite programme and the Orion service module, NASA’s new space transport system.

At Astrium, we are particularly proud to work to continue to build the Europe in Space, day after day”.

About Astrium

Astrium is the number one companyin Europe for space technologies and the third in the world. In 2011, Astrium had a turnover close to €5 billion and 18,000 employees worldwide, mainly in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands.

Astrium is the sole European company that coversthe whole range of civil and defence space systems and services.

Its three business unitsare: Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure; Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment; Astrium Services for comprehensive fixed and mobile end-to-end solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, high security and broadcast satellite communications equipment and systems, and bespoke geo-information services, worldwide.

Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS,a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2011, the Group– comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of € 49.1 billion and employed a workforce of over 133,000.